Messengers of the Wind by Jane katz

This is a book about cultural values. It is written autobiographically about the cultural struggle of Native American grandmothers , mothers and daughters growing up "Indian". These "First Americans" talk of valuing the wisdom of the elderly, having hope in our children, trying to be self sufficient, and valuing the earth. It is about real American history with sadness and loss, the struggle to maintain one"s heritage and somehow the persistence to maintain an inner spirit of courage to survive and move forward for the sake of our children and the future of the culture.

I believe along with Romona  Bennett, one of the women who was interviewed for her story, that we are losing a lot when not living as extended families. I loved her vision of the benefits of full families living together under one roof or very close by. "You have old people who know all the rules necessary for social order, and the best methods of making and doing things...they have the wisdom and can teach the little ones. Children have strong legs and bright eyes, they are quick and helpful. In the middle years...people are stronger and able to do the heavy work. You have a good team." She continued to say, "That was what was really good about Indian societies. Everybody knew the rules of social conduct, so there was no confusion. Everybody was useful and part of the future, so there was no need for unemployment insurance or welfare, juvenile detention centers, prisons, or nursing homes. These Indians had extended families- the finest form of social security there is."

Think about this one house or community where we all live together or close by to be the help we may need to help us all be self sufficient. Isn't that in essence what Christian community should be as well?? I loved growing up with my maternal grandma and grandpa living in the flat above us. My grandparents owned the house my parents could not afford and because of this i really got to spend time with my grandparents while very young. Of course we moved on with the American dream and bought a house on another block when we could afford this. But you know what, my grandparents moved to that same block and bought another house to remain close. That was very German and later i realized my parents had also purchased their house in a German neighborhood as well. There is a lot of German roots in my family.

The oh so many stories in this book are so inspirational yet sad with what the American greed and selfishness did and continues to do to the Native American population who were in essence peace filled, environmentally sound, self sufficient, and willing to co-exist. But we had to have everything for ourselves- buying up or stealing the precious lands that gave them self sufficiency for farming, fishing and hunting for their food, clothing and shelter. Without work and pride of self sufficiency also came substance abuse. These stories really inform the reader as to the realities these Native American people lived through and are still living through. Why didn't we learn this in our history textbooks and why aren't we working to correct these wrongs and help our first citizens who live well below the poverty line today and right here in the USA?

I guess the question is for each of us is.... do our lifestyles still reflect this greed and individual achievement as the forerunner in needing to own everything or perhaps could we learn a bit about co-exisiting and sharing from this rich culture. Learn about living on less and sharing more- living more simply and more naturally with both man and planet earth to embody a real American spirit and lifestyle we can be proud of. I for one was charged to try to keep evaluating what it is we call the "American Dream" and does that dream include all who live here??